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Monday, November 30, 2015

This quilt has been finished since July...and I've had it back in hand for a few weeks already, but I never found the time to blog about it. (It's so difficult not to share things in real time!) This one was named by my friend Stephanie...who thought it looked like café umbrellas. Isn't that a fitting name?(Thank you, Stephanie!)

All of the fabrics in the front of the quilt are from my good neighbors fabric line. (I added solid white, which is also from Connecting Threads.) The idea was to design a block where the stripes make a diamond design. There is quite a bit of extra fabric leftover because the triangles are cut twice on the diagonal (rather than once) so the stripes form the pattern. The fabulous free-motion quilting was done by Steffani K. Burton. She does SUCH a nice job!

I have big plans for the leftover triangles...they will be some sort of flying geese some day. Probably in another year or two! Ha!

For the backing, I used 8 different 1/2 yard fabrics from my stash in colors that match the front of the quilt. There was a lot of auditioning to get just the right mix, but it was worth it! I love using up stash for quilt backs.

I thought twice about using this large gray dot on the back, because I wanted to hoard it until the end of time...but the scale was too perfect not to use! I'm glad that I did use it. After all, that's what the fabric is for, right? (I need the reminder sometimes!)

I really enjoyed piecing this quilt! It was fun to make something a little more traditional and I love the secondary design that the blocks make. There is a pattern for the café umbrellas quilt here, if you are interested. Connecting Threads has kits for this quilt on sale (today only!) for 50% off while supplies last. It's a great bargain!

Friday, November 27, 2015

For something a little different today...I made a floor pouf for my home!

I actually bought a kit (which might be a first for me) from Modern Textiles. I fell in love with the floor poufs while they were still developing the pattern. It was a fun, practical project and I highly recommend it!

The pouf is filled with a combination of wool batting, (the old, old stuff that we would never put in quilts these days) along with some fabric scraps, batting scraps and a little bit of polyester fiberfill to the top to keep the top nicely rounded. There is an insane amount of filling in it!

I made sure to fill it quite densely, as recommended by the pattern, so it can be used as an ottoman or even a chair for a little person. My kids love it! This one was made using decorator fabric, but you KNOW that I'm already dreaming of making a scrappy version. :)

It's so nice to have a BIG finish to share today!

I also wanted to give you a heads up...Craftsy is having their best sale of the year right now and it runs through Monday, 11/30/15. All classes are $19.99 or less, so if you had your eye on one, now is the time to purchase! I'm currently taking the class Basics of Digital Photography, which is fabulous. It's about time that I actually learn how to use my camera properly! On the quilting front, I'm taking Jacquie Gering's class Creative Quilting with Your Walking Foot, which is filled with great information. I've been watching both classes as I trim HST blocks and while I am chain piecing. It's so nice to be able to maximize my time and keep my mind occupied while I do those mundane quilting tasks. My class, Colorful Scrap Quilting is on sale, too! Craftsy classes never expire, so you can watch on your own timeline and re-visit the lessons as often as you like. That's a good thing!

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday! Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

I had a bunch of errands to run today (along with everyone else in the country!) and one of the fun stops was the thrift store. Man, I cleaned up today!!!

First up, this funky, but super fun rug. I paid 79 cents for it! It is so fabulously homemade! I thought I would put it in my kitchen, but it's a little small for that, so it will either end up in one of my bathrooms or else by the side of my bed.

I love, love, LOVE the color scheme. I think I need to build a quilt around this color palette! It's so good!

This shelf was obviously homemade in someone's garage.....and I love that it's not quite symmetrical. :) I've been on the lookout for something tall and skinny with storage for my sewing room. This is just the ticket!

I found a board in my garage (already cut to the perfect size) and I covered it to use as an ironing board. I only paid $11.99 for the shelf and the rest of the materials were things that I had on hand. The best part? I got the project done within a few hours after I got home. Hurray! Oh, and my husband approves of it, so THAT'S good, too! Ha!

I covered the top with the tomato red cross stitch print from my good neighbors fabric line. I kind of love it! I purposely chose a darker color to cover it with so hopefully it will wear well and last for a long time.

And the last deal of the day....this quilt is hand made, tied and it is in really good condition. I paid $7.99 for it. I certainly don't NEED another quilt, (are you laughing with me yet?) but for that price I just couldn't leave it there!!! I love it so much!

When you add it all up, I spent less than $23 total! I'm thrilled!

This is my favorite week of the year...and thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday. For those of you in the States, Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you have a wonderful, blessed day! xo

Monday, November 23, 2015

I thought it would be fun to show my entire pincushion collection with you today! Some were made by me and several were made by my friends. I love them all! I could barely fit them all in one frame (hahaha!)....no surprise there!

These two are my favorite ones to use....at least this week! :) I love that they have a firm base (a repurposed tuna can) and that they sit up higher than most pincushions. There is a tutorial here, from a long time ago, if you care to make one of your own.

My pincushion "candy bowl" is full! This makes me super happy!

And one more...I made this little one on retreat this weekend. I found a scrap with my birth year on it and it was centered on the piece of fabric, so I just HAD to make a pincushion out of it. Isn't that the cutest? It's scrap project # 116!

If you are curious to know how I make my pincushions, I basically follow the directions in this tutorial...I just change up the patchwork on the top panel. I like to fill my smaller pincushions with crushed walnut shells, which I purchase in large quantities from the pet store. (They are sold as lizard litter). If the pincushions are over 5" or 6" I fill them with poly fiberfill, so they don't get too heavy. I hope that helps to answer any questions you may have!

Friday, November 20, 2015

Well, it feels like winter here, so it was time to crack out the butterfly fabric! :) I actually used fabric from my stash this week--a noteworthy event to be sure. Ha!

Last summer my friend Michelle gave me a little fabric basket/tray as a gift, and I have found it so useful for corralling fabric scraps on my sewing table while I work. I have a lot of scraps, (ahem!) so I thought I would sew up a few more baskets. These were a fun, quick project to make that could be used for organizing so many different things! I was able to use up some scraps of weird stabilizer stuff (I think it was Pel-Tex) that I had leftover from making some bags years ago, so that was a bonus!

Let me mention the bamboo turner, pictured above. It's one of my new favorite tools! I usually use a knitting needle or something similar to poke out the corners of my little projects (like pincushions) but that bamboo turner is amazing! It's by Merchant & Mills and I bought it at Modern Textiles. It's a nifty little tool that I would recommend if you like sewing gadgets! Or if you make hundreds of pincushions, like I do. :)

Speaking of tools...I picked up this Clover needle threader at the free table last month at my guild meeting. (Don't you love that?) I haven't been successful in getting the needle threader to work, (although my son did) but I love the little cutter on the top! I use it for cutting apart blocks after chain piecing. It's so fun that I can even get my kids to do that task for me once in awhile. :) It ALL helps!

And just to keep things real....this was the project I was hoping to finish for today. I pulled out my scraps from this quilt and I was hoping to turn them into a throw pillow. The color balance wasn't quite right, but I didn't have the motivation or energy to push through...so that will be saved for another day. It's close, but not quite there yet! It's ok...I have plenty of other projects to keep me busy. Ha!

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes. Thanks, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!

Monday, November 16, 2015

After a bit of a break from this quilt, I'm back at it and it feels good! This one is all about the process. I mean, I'm sure I'll like and use the quilt when it's done....but having a hand stitching project at the ready is essential for my sanity these days! (I can use all the sanity I can get! Ha!)

I started off with scraps from Denyse Schmidt's first two lines of fabric...flea market fancy and Katie Jump Rope, which dictated the color scheme. It's an interesting color mix and it's somewhat brighter than I expected it to be, but that's ok! I've been adding in a few other random prints for variety, but slowly as to not upset the current balance. It's funky and fun and I really like it!

Friday, November 13, 2015

I was sick most of this week and when I actually started to feel better, I overdid it. (You would think I would know better by now!!!) Despite that fact, I managed to sew up a few pincushions. I certainly don't NEED another pincushion (or 6 more, for that matter!), but need has nothing to do with it! I did empty a scrap bag, so only 556 scrap bags left to go. (Hahaha!) I love these pincushions so much, and it will be hard to break up the set, but most of them will end up as gifts. They were a fun project to work on when I didn't have energy to work on anything else! I considered turning the blocks into a mini quilt, but pincushions won out in the end. Shocker, right? They are scrap project #115!

Fall is still hanging on around these parts, which is delightful! I assembled some wool acorns this week...while it's still fall. Another win! This bowl of wool acorns makes me giddy. (It's the little things!) I plan to make more and keep slowly adding to this bowl of goodness. I used this video tutorial for making the wool balls, but I used 100% wool yarn instead of roving. They were a fun project!

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks, as always, for joining me for finish it up Friday!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

I know I said it before, but I'll say it again. Thank you all for the sweet comments and links from my 9 year blog birthday post. The winners are Debbie and Southern Gal. Please email me so I can get some prizes to you! Thanks to everyone who played along. It's much appreciated! :)

Friday, November 06, 2015

First off, thank you so very much for all your kind comments on my 9 year blog birthday post. I appreciate each and every one! xo

Today I've got a few mini quilts to share. I came up with this design to go with my good neighbors fabric line. I had to test out the pattern on other fabric first, so I have two versions to share. One with a scrappy background and one without. I love seeing different versions of a single pattern anyway, so it all works out! :)

I went through some trial and error before landing on the right proportions.

block 3-just right! (This is, of course, after I made several coffee cups that were huge and some resembled beer steins. True story...they were hideous! Haha!)

And here is the good neighbors version! It has a single background rather than a scrappy one.

For this version, I quilted it with wavy lines (stitch #19 on my Janome Horizon) which kind of looks like steam rising. Isn't that fun? I love how different the two versions are! SO many possibilities.

The pattern can be purchased here and there are kits of the good neighbors version available here.

This one hangs in my kitchen/dining room and I smile every time I see it! I love it so much!

I have plans to make a whole quilt (lap size or larger!) out of these mini coffee mugs....some. day.

Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!

Monday, November 02, 2015

9 years ago today I started writing this blog. That is a whole lot of time sitting under a lap top and even more time sitting behind the sewing machine. I can only imagine how many miles of thread I've used! Needless to say, I had no idea what it would lead to...it has been quite a ride!

I've decided that this should be an interactive celebration! So, if you've been inspired by something you've seen here, I'd love it if you would share a link. It could be a link to something you've made based on one of my tutorials, patterns, my craftsy class, something from Sunday Morning Quilts, or even something you've sewn up with my fabric. I'd love to see what you've made! You can be certain that there will be prizes!

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey. It certainly wouldn't be the same without you. xoxoxox